About the Lord-Lieutenant

The Lord-Lieutenant

Her Majesty The Queen has been pleased to appoint Mr Robert Voss CBE DL as her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Hertfordshire to succeed The Countess of Verulam who stepped down on 31 July 2017.

Robert Voss has recently retired after a long and distinguished career in the metal industry, having also chaired the European Federation in Brussels for 16 years. He has a special interest in young entrepreneurs, through his involvement with Hertfordshire Young Enterprise, as a venture partner investing in a number of young companies and as a trustee of the Young Person of the Year Charity. He also established a Young Entrepreneurs Challenge. He is a Governor of The University of Hertfordshire and a member of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation survivors’ testimony committee.

He was awarded the CBE in 2014 for ‘services to British Industry and voluntary work in the UK’.

Mr Voss lives in Loudwater with his wife, Celia. They have two adult sons, a daughter and two grandsons.

History and duties

History

The office of Lord-Lieutenant is of military origin and dates back to the time of Henry VIII when he was appointed for the maintenance of law and order and for the raising of the militia.

The military role has largely disappeared, but links are maintained by association with Volunteer Reserve Forces and with the Army Cadet Force, the Air Training Corps and the Sea Cadet Corps together with other uniformed organisations such as the Fire, Police and Ambulance services and various volunteer bodies.

The duties of the Lord-Lieutenant

The Lord-Lieutenant is appointed by The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister and is Her Majesty's personal representative in Hertfordshire.

His prime duty is to uphold the dignity of the Crown. Within that remit, the Lord-Lieutenant will exercise the following functions:

Arrange visits by members of the Royal family and escort Royal visitors

Present medals and awards on behalf of Her Majesty

Participate in civic, voluntary and social activities within Hertfordshire

Liase with local units of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, Royal Air Force and their associated cadet forces

Lead the Magistracy by chairing the Advisory Committee for the appointment of Justices of the peace and for the Appointment of the General Commissioners of Income Tax.

Vice Lord-Lieutenant

The Vice Lord-Lieutenant is appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant from one of the deputies. The Vice Lord-Lieutenant stands in for the Lord-Lieutenant when she is away from the County.

The Vice Lord-Lieutenant stands down when the Lord-Lieutenant, who made the appointment, relinquishes the post or retires, and a new one is appointed. This provides opportunity for change. A subsequent change of appointment may also be made at the discretion of the Lord-Lieutenant.

The current Vice Lord-Lieutenant

The new Vice Lord-Lieutenant is Richard Beazley who took up the appointment on 1 August 2010.

Richard was born in Broxbourne, and is one of five generations to have lived in Hertfordshire. He spent many years working in the international oil industry as a lawyer, economist and chief executive, living in Norway, Indonesia, Canada and the USA, and conducting business in many other parts of the world.

He was Chairman of the East and North Herts NHS Trust for ten years from 2002; and is Chairman of the University of Hertfordshire and Vice Chairman of the Florence Nightingale Foundation. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire in 2004.

Richard and Violet live in Standon and have two sons.

Deputy Lieutenants

Deputy Lieutenants are commissioned by the Lord-Lieutenant, subject to confirmation by the Secretary of State that the Queen approves of the appointment.

The function of a Deputy Lieutenant is to assist in the performance of any public duty performed by the Lord-Lieutenant. The normal retirement age for Deputy Lieutenants is 75, after which they are included in a retired list, which is separate from the active establishment.

With the population of Hertfordshire at just over 1 million, the maximum establishment of Deputy Lieutenants is 57. This is entirely at the discretion of the Lord-Lieutenant. However, the present number of Deputy Lieutenants on the active list stands at 40. This number allows greater opportunity for Deputy Lieutenants to act on behalf of the Lord-Lieutenant. Every endeavour will be made to apportion duties to Deputy Lieutenants on an equitable basis.

The Role of a Deputy Lieutenant

At the appropriate time, suggesting an organisation to be included in the programme of a Royal Visit.

Arranging for a visit by the Lieutenancy (Lord-Lieutenant or a Deputy Lieutenant) to acknowledge the good work of an organisation.

Advising the Lord-Lieutenant of individuals for consideration as potential Deputy Lieutenants.

Helping to celebrate and encourage volunteering within the community.

If you have any queries, please contact us.

List of Deputy Lieutenants

His Honour Judge Michael Baker CBE QC DL

Ms Kate Belinis DL

Dame Claire Bertschinger DBE DL

Mrs Marion Brown JP MBE DL

Mrs Sally Burton DL

Roy Button Esq OBE DL

David M Cansdale Esq QPM DL

Lord Charles E V Cecil DL

Dr Sarah Coffey JP DL

Mrs J (Jo) Connell OBE DL

Gerald M N Corbett Esq DL

Mrs Louise M Faure Walker DL

The Reverend E (Teddy) Faure Walker DL

Howard A Guard MBE DL

N (Nick) G Halsey Esq TD DL

Dr Helen Hanbury DL

Commodore Tim Hennessey RN DL

Peter M Holland Esq CBE DL

Dr Amjad Hussain Shah DL

J Stuart Lewis Esq DL

Professor Keith McAdam DL

J (Jim) F McGown Esq DL

David S McMullen Esq DL

Stuart M Nagler MBE JP DL

Lady (Shelagh) Nichols DL

Brigadier John B Palmer DL

Dame Alison Peacock DBE DL

Sir W Eric Peacock Esq KCMG DL

Ian Pigott Esq OBE DL

The Honourable Richard O Pleydell-Bouverie DL

Dame Joyce Plotnikoff DBE DL

J Neville Reyner Esq CBE DL

The Most Hon The Marquess of Salisbury PC DL (Robert)

Stelio H Stefanou Esq OBE DL

Stuart Storey Esq DL

Dr R (Ros) Taylor DL

The Viscount Trenchard DL (Hugh)

W (Bill) Tudor John Esq DL

The Countess of Verulam DL (Dione)

Lionel C Wallace Esq DL

Mrs Jane Wentworth-Stanley DL

Mrs P (Penny) A Williams JP DL

Professor Sir R J (Timothy) Wilson DL

Richard Woolfson Esq DL

Akhtar Zaman Esq DL

Former Lord-Lieutenants of Hertfordshire

The Countess of Verulam (Dione) (2007-2017)

Sir Simon Alexander Bowes-Lyon KCVO (1986–2007)

High Sheriff of Hertfordshire 2016-17

Stelio H Stefanou Esq OBE DL

High Sheriff of Hertfordshire 2017–18

W A Hobhouse Esq

The qualifications for Deputy Lieutenants, as set out in the Lieutenancies Act, mean that a person may be appointed a Deputy Lieutenant if:

He or she is shown to have rendered appropriate service - such service includes service as a member of, or in a civil capacity, in connection with the Armed Forces, or any other suitable form of public service; and

He or she has a place of residence in, or within seven miles from the boundary of the County.

Deputy Lieutenants who leave the active establishment may be permitted by the Lord-Lieutenant to remain on the Retired List and to retain the use of the letters DL. They will not usually be asked to carry out duties as Deputy Lieutenants, but will be invited to attend most events.

A Deputy Lieutenant is appointed as Vice Lord-Lieutenant, and will stand in for the Lord-Lieutenant when she is away from the County. The Vice Lord-Lieutenant will stand down when the Lord-Lieutenant, who made the appointment, relinquishes the post or retires, and a new one is appointed. This provides opportunity for change. A subsequent change of appointment may also be made at the discretion of the Lord-Lieutenant.

Requests to Deputy Lieutenants to stand in for the Lord-Lieutenant will come via Susan Wright. The Lord Lieutenant will try to balance geography and interests when inviting a Deputy to represent her.

When Deputy Lieutenants are asked to stand in for the Lord-Lieutenant, they are representing HM The Queen. This will apply for most ceremonies and official events.

All areas and aspects of the County should be represented within the Lieutenancy; these being: Geographical, Social and Economic

(There is a specific dress uniform for the office of Deputy Lieutenant, and there may be occasions when it is appropriate to wear this uniform; but it is certainly not obligatory for a Deputy Lieutenant to obtain such a uniform. Retired officers of the Armed Services may use their former service uniform.)

Lord-Lieutenant's Cadets

It is customary for Lord-Lieutenants to appoint young people from the Cadet Forces as Lord-Lieutenant's Cadets. The Cadets are outstanding young people who have been recommended to the Lord-Lieutenant by their senior officers and are drawn from the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets, and the Air Training Corps.

When on duty, Lord-Lieutenant' Cadets wear a distinctive sash with the badge of their appointment, to denote their role. They assist the Lord-Lieutenant as required - often on parade for Royal visits - and act as ambassadors for their organisations.

Three Cadets have been appointed as Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets for 2017:

ATC – Erin Ferguson

ACF – Ben Mason

SCC – Rebecca Springall.

The Lord-Lieutenant has appointed a Police Cadet as one of The Lord-Lieutenants Cadets and Ayse Ozkaratas becomes the first police cadet to be appointed.

17 year old Ayse is a Squad Leader in the Cheshunt group and leads a new cadet cybercrime group - meeting vulnerable people to talk about cybercrime.

Her confidence and bubbly personality stand out, and Ayse said how honoured and excited she is to become the first Police Cadet to be appointed as a Lord-Lieutenants Cadet.

Leading Cadet Rebecca Springall – my Year as a Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet (Oct 2017)

As a Leading Cadet within the Stevenage Sea Cadets unit, I was proud to be selected to be one of the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire’s Cadets for 2017. Over the year I had amazing opportunities to meet a wide range of people and see the brilliant events at which the Lord-Lieutenant represents Her Majesty, The Queen.

Throughout my time as the Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet, I had the opportunity to work with two Lord-Lieutenants, The Countess of Verulam and Robert Voss CBE, as well as the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Richard Beazley. I also met several of Hertfordshire’s Deputy Lieutenants as well as the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire.

The Countess of Verulam’s farewell in July and Robert Voss’s welcome in October were each celebrated by an Evensong in St Albans Abbey, where a large congregation of dignitaries, the Armed Forces and members of the public attended. These events were beautiful and I was privileged to be asked to read part of one of the lessons (together with the other Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets) at the service for The Countess of Verulam.

In July I also attended the service to commemorate 100 years since the Battle of St Julien in All Saints’ Church in Hertford, at which the Lieutenancy was represented by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant. At this service I was asked to read the ‘Collect’.

The first event I attended as a Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet in March was the presentation of the British Empire Medal to six Hertfordshire residents which was held at County Hall in Hertford. My final event as a Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet also turned out to be the presentation of British Empire Medals in October – this time to five Hertfordshire residents. Before this last ceremony I also attended the private presentation of a Queen’s Bravery Award which was a very emotional ceremony.

During these events, I met people from all over Hertfordshire who have changed and improved the lives of other people and their communities. I discovered through these ceremonies, that these people, who are all volunteers, use their spare time and knowledge to do good for others with no thought of being rewarded for what they have achieved. When talking with these people, I found that they were all passionate about the things that they were doing and never considered that their work and efforts would result in them being given an award by The Queen.

Other events that I attended were the Presentations of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in both the Innovation and Export categories. The first Presentation I attended was to a Company who had been operating continuously for 240 years and they received the Award for the export of the world’s finest brushes. During this event, I met a number of charming people, all employees of the Company, who entertained me at lunch and invited me to take part in the celebrations with them. We were also able to see the wide range of products they make and sell around the world.

The second Company received the Award for Innovation. This engineering Company design and manufacture the machines that process and check the quality of food products. I was able to watch a demonstration of the machines in action and had a tour of the factory where I saw the design processes and assembly of the machines.

Over this year, I have found the role enjoyable and rewarding. I have come to realise how important the Queen’s representatives are and the vital job they do with their Deputies, in honouring ordinary people who have used their time for the benefit of others.

Whoever is appointed in 2018 should be greatly honoured that they have been chosen from all of Hertfordshire Sea Cadet Units to be one of the Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets.

On Friday 26th April I attended the inauguration of the new £100 million Warner Bros. Studios Leavsden in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Prince Harry. There could not have been a better way to finish what has been a fantastic twelve months as Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet for Hertfordshire.

My duties as Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet started before I had even been presented with my certificate or badge. With 2012 being the Diamond Jubilee year of Her Majesty The Queen it was inevitably going to be a busy one. After rapidly obtaining my brand new RAF No.1 uniform and sewing on the numerous badges it was Sunday 20th May 2012, the day of the Diamond Jubilee Service held in honour of Her Majesty at St Albans Cathedral. This being my first duty I arrived in plenty of time; a mere 45 minutes early. As Lady Verulam, Lord-Lieutenant for Hertfordshire, arrived in her car I saluted and greeted her at the doors of the Cathedral. After a quick run through, it was time for the procession where my role was to escort Lady Verulam through the Cathedral.

The Hertfordshire County Show was on 2nd June and the day I was presented, officially, with my certificate of appointment along with the other two Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets. I visited the majority of the stalls with Lady Verulam in the morning and then was invited to the president’s lunch in the members’ enclosure. My parents and my sister were invited to the presentation but being five I think my sister was more interested in the horses!

14th June 2012 was definitely the big day. It was the day of HM The Queen’s visit to Hertfordshire as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour of the country. I arrived in Hitchin at 08:50. The crowds were building, along with the excitement, with over a thousand people in the small market square already. Our role for the day was briefly explained and then we were able to talk to the crowds and prepare for the Queen’s arrival at 10:30 am. Whilst waiting I spoke to a group of Americans who had been waiting there for four hours but were nevertheless in fantastic spirits as I told them they had chosen the exact position where the Queen would be stepping out of the Bentley. As the time drew closer the Brass band and the local church choir added to the festivities with classic marching songs and contemporary film music. Jerusalem was the chosen song for the arrival of Her Majesty and by 10:00 am the crowd, now thousands strong, had successfully rehearsed it. It was now 10:25 am and people were getting worried that the red carpet had not finished being laid but they did manage to get it done, just.

The town clock chimed 10:30, a police bike arrived around the corner, the crowd erupted into cheers, and the band started playing Jerusalem. I was ready... ready...nope, nothing. It was 10:40 when Her Majesty actually arrived with even more cheers than the "false start". My job was simple, salute her when she stepped out of the car and then follow her and the Lord Lieutenant around the square. I played a running game towards the end with the avalanche of flowers and gifts that were presented to the Queen. We collected them and ran them to either the "sweep car" or the Bentley. By 11:10 we were waving Her Majesty off and getting ready for leg number 2.

We arrived at Hatfield House, I parked, looked over my shoulder and saw the black Range Rover coming down the road! There was still a field and a 4000 strong crowd of school children separating me from the arrival point! Luckily my cross country experience came in useful as I sprinted across the field, fought my way through the crowd, dived under the fence and took my position with literally 5 seconds to spare before I was saluting the Queen as she stepped out of the Range Rover.

The Queen was then treated to a recital from a steel band and a choir before planting a new oak tree. After the Queen left I was asked by a young girl if I would present a card that she had made to the Queen on leg 3 of my day, I, of course, obliged.

The final leg was the highlight of the day. It was a reception and luncheon with Her Majesty the Queen in Hatfield House. As I made my way up to Hatfield House I was once again asked to present gifts to the Queen. When I got inside I had a look at the Luncheon seating plan and to my amazement I was seated on table one directly opposite the Queen! I saw the Chief Constable and Air Chief Marshal Peach on table two. Head of Security a Colonel and an Air Vice-Marshal on table three but on my double take I was still on table one!

After that fun filled day I had a bit of a rest from my duties. On 9th October 2012 and then in March 2013 I attended British Empire Medal presentations at County Hall. I got to talk to some very interesting and worthy people working and contributing to life in Hertfordshire. In addition, in November 2012 I was invited to attend the High Sheriff’s Justice Service where I learned how senior High Court Judges are. Even if I learnt it after I had spoken to all of them!

So, after the second British Empire Medal presentations came my final duty as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet. It was not an arduous duty; my job was to shadow HRH Prince William with Lady Verulam for the duration of the four hour visit. It was a fantastic day. Not only did I get to visit ‘The Making of Harry Potter: Studio Tour’ for the first time but I got to meet the future King of England. Among others, I also spoke to JK Rowling, Helena Bonham Carter and several of the Chief Executives of Warner Bros. I got to see everything from props from the Batman trilogy to how 3D films are captured.

To summarise, I was extremely lucky to be offered the role in such a fantastic year. I cannot thank Susan Wright enough for putting in the background organisation and involving me in so many great events. And of course, Lady Verulam for putting up with me by her side for all of them! I would hold the position permanently if I could but it is only fair that I let someone else have a go. This has been the most memorable year of my seven years in the Air Training Corps. I have met so many people, from so many backgrounds. It has been incredible.

Photograph shows the Lord-Lieutenant with Ayse Ozkaratas taken at the Police Awards Ceremony which was held on 17 October 2017 at Hatfield House.